After Forever is one of those bands that I passed up a long time ago. My friend once told me to check them out awhile back, and I simply dimissed them. Not on purpose. It was just a lack of interest. Boy, did I make a mistake back then. After reading countless reviews about how awesome a CD Decipher was, I decided to give the guys(and girl) of After Forever another shot.

The first song that starts up is "Ex Cathedra", this is your usual start to a power metal CD, soothing classical music that soon bursts into a metal frenzy. Only this isn't power metal. After Forever is more Goth Metal than anything. They flawlessly mix black metal vocals with the most gorgeous female vocals I've ever heard in my life! Floor Jansen has the most sexiest goddamn voice in the world. Its a perfect blend of the vocals from Nightwish and Lacuna Coil. Just listen to "My Pledge of Allegiance 2". that song is where Floor's voice truly shines!

The song structuring on Decipher couldn't be better either. Without blazing guitar solos, After Forever is able to captivate their listeners through awesome riffage backed by some of the most soothing and at the same time, intense, orchestral pieces ever. And Floor's vocals only help the experience. My only complaint was the black metal type vocals. While still very good, they seemed to be lacking something. I think maybe the guy from Skyfire would have been a better choice. Who knows.

Whats amazing about this album is that every song is as completely intense as the next one. Not one song is bad! Songs like "Monolith of Doubt", "Emphasis", "Enstranged", "Forlorn Hope", and "Zenith" are my favorites so far. Its so hard to choose a favorite track seeing how they all kick the same ass, and yet are so completely different from eachother. What After Forever are masters of is obviously the ability to create songs of such epic nature and depict them in way where the listener becomes a visioner. Not only does he or she hear the music, but they should be able to feel it and actually see the songs come to life. By the end of a song, you're either at the edge of your seat or bashing the air with your head.